Access to health care gap growing in rural areas, funding needed for alternate methods of care

There is a need for primary health care in Oxford County with capacity gaps ranging from 2,000 to 9,000 people without a primary care provider.

“There are about 18,455 Oxford health card holders without a primary care provider, physician or nurse practitioner presently in Oxford County,” said Stephanie Nevins, clinic manager of the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-led Clinic, which has been filling a gap in that community left by a drop in family physicians.

Jessie Rumble, the clinical director/lead nurse practitioner, says this type of clinic can help in rural areas around the province that are experiencing similar issues, because many of the services they offer are similar to what they would get at a family doctor.

“We treat illnesses, we diagnose and assess and prescribe medications, and order investigations were needed.”

The Ingersoll clinic is serving roughly 2,700 patients, with a capacity of 3,200.

Nevins says for several years they have been trying to secure funding from the province for expansion to Tillsonburg, without luck.

“We've applied for expansion funding to be able to expand our primary care team based services into Tillsonburg, an area that presently has no access to team based care and is considered an area of high needs,” said Nevins.

The facility caught the attention of NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who made a campaign style visit to the area Tuesday morning.

“The problem that we have is something that can be addressed with more investment and more commitment to providing the funding for this type of a clinic,” said Horwath.

She says it will be an issue that she will commit to in the upcoming provincial election in early June.